Jewellery

4 Easy Steps to Silver Jewellery Care


Summer 2021 has brought some truly sizzling new jewellery trends to the catwalk, the high street and the beach. From bright neon enamel statement pieces through to dazzling, oversized earrings; this summer is not passing by quietly. Its loud, its proud and we LOVE it!

But while flashing that dazzle on the beach or out celebrating the (socially distanced) end to lockdown it can be difficult to keep your jewellery items looking fresh and fabulous. Moisturisers, perfumes and even too much exposure to sunlight accelerates tarnishing and dulling. Not ideal at a time when we’re all looking to get out in to the world in our fiercest summer outfits. 

But never fear. Surrey Home and Gifts are coming to the rescue! We have the perfect easy 4 step guide to keeping your silver jewellery looking brand new and beautiful every day this summer. So sit back, relax, pour yourself a Prosecco and read our easy, 4 step guide to Caring for your Silver; keeping it shining bright all year round. 

Step One: Avoid contact with chemicals 

Its hard to avoid lotions, creams and sunscreens in the summer months. Keeping your skin beautiful and soft is so important especially as the weather heats up and cools down to the extremes. And who can resist a spritz of their favourite fragrance before leaving the house?

However, contact between these and your jewellery will dull its shine, tarnishing and blackening any precious metal. We recommend waiting half an hour after applying your daily moisturiser before putting on your jewellery and avoid applying perfume or body sprays directly to those areas of your skin on which your silver will rest. 

Paua Hearts Bracelet

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Things to avoid:

Petroleum Jelly is very difficult to wash away from fine or delicate jewellery items as it does not break down in water the way most fragrances and lotions will. We strongly recommend avoiding any contact between the two. Save yourself the stress!

Flamingo Necklace and Earring Set

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Summer 2021 
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Step Two: Wipe it off

Make removing your jewellery part of your evening cleaning ritual and spend just a moment to pop each item into a small bowl of warm, soapy water. No need to soak, just wipe off with a soft lint cloth and buff dry. This will remove chemical residue and preserve the shiny smooth finish of most precious metals. 

To dry, simply take a microfibre or dry soft lint cloth and buff in small circular motions until satisfied that all blackening and dulling has been removed. 

Things to avoid:

Rubbing toothpaste into your jewellery may give it that minty fresh flavour, but for anyone who intends to wear their jewellery rather than eat it this method does not work and is prone to causing damage and corrosion to the surface of the metal.

Stud Cat Earrings

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Step Three: Storage

Ideally your precious metal jewellery should be stored in a soft lined, solid jewellery box to protect it from tarnishing. This alone will not wholly stop tarnishing from happening but ensuring your jewellery is stored in this manner will add an extra layer of protection whilst also avoiding any abrasions or scratches. Caring for your silver is easier with a trinket box!

Penguin Earrings

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Things to avoid: 

Storing your jewellery on a stand rather than in a box. Although it can look stunning to have your favourite bracelet, necklace or earrings displayed for all to see; when displaying jewellery in this way it is exposed to open air and will pick up residue from household cleaning products, deodorants, body sprays and such like. Keep your jewellery locked away and preserve its beauty for longer!

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Step 4: Polish

Polishing your jewellery is the most obvious of these steps, however we don’t advise doing this more often than is necessary. For regularly worn items once a month should be more than enough to keep your jewellery as good as new. For those pieces worn only for special occasions, once every 6 months will suffice. 

Here at SHG we recommend using a small drop of Silvo polish applied to a soft lint cloth. Apply evenly to your silverware and rub in. Once the Silvo begins to reduce, use a fresh and dry area of the cloth to begin buffing immediately until the desired finish is achieved. 

Things to avoid: 

It is extremely important to use the right tools for the job. Metal polishes such as Brasso for instance are often recommended for use in polishing precious metals. However, even the smallest trace left behind will cause a build up of blackening within any gem settings, clasps and chain links. In short, Brasso will do in a pinch but will cause more problems than it solves.

Jewellery Sets

So there you have it, 4 easy steps to keeping your silver jewellery looking nearly as fabulous as you do for years and years to come. We hope this will help your silver stay brilliantly beautiful all season.

See you on the beach!

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